Frequently, the enjoyment of video and audio entertainment is a solitary experience. An individual chooses a program of interest and listens to or watches the presentation unaware of who among their co-workers, friends, family, and even those within the same house might also be listening to or watching the same presentation. On special occasions, groups of people will gather to view a program of particular interest, such as an important sports event, if the distance to the viewing location is reasonable. Attendance is limited to the those invited, and generally only those invitees are able to take part in person.
Occasionally, someone viewing or listening to a program may telephone a friend or relative known to have a special interest in the program being broadcast to let them know that it is on, or to exchange commentary about specific portions or events. The telephone instrument used may or may not be in the same location as the viewing/listening device, sometimes forcing the originating party to make the additional effort to leave the program and go to the telephone to contact the other person. Any separation of the telephone from the viewing/listening location influences the amount of time spent on the call, and influences the length of the interaction, and the enjoyment experienced in contacting the other party.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.